The Trung Son Hydropower Plant is an impressive medium-scale plant built on the main stream of the Ma River. The powerhouse has four turbines with a total installed capacity of 260 MW and an annual output of 1,019 million kWh. Once fully operative, the plant will provide electricity to about 180,000 homes and help Vietnam to meet its growing energy demands. Power consumption in Vietnam has been steadily growing by about 15 percent annually for the last several years, and hydropower is now part of a comprehensive plan the Vietnamese government has developed to increase electricity access for its population.

Responsible hydropower production

As part of the consultation process, I visited the area five years ago, traveling using small boats and hiking over mountains to visit and talk with people about their needs and their hopes for the future.

Hydropower projects have extremely complex social and environmental effects. But within the World Bank Group we’ve learnt that hydropower can be done well if all the right steps are followed and if the proper environmental and social safeguards are implemented. The power station’s construction impacted some 7,000 people. I met with some of them before they moved to listen to their hopes and concerns.

Today, five years after the consultation process, people now find themselves living in new villages with electricity, drainage, roads, clean water, schools and improved health centres. While I was chatting with the villagers, they told me that they like where they live now, and they’re enjoying the benefits that the project granted them. In this regard, the Trung Son project represents a shining example of hydropower that meets international standards for environmental, social and safety best practices.

Delivering results

The power station’s first turbine will begin operation in October, increasing Vietnam’s power supply while avoiding about one million tons of carbon emissions per year.
While some people may criticize hydropower projects, a visit to Trung Son shows that hydropower can be done well, in a way that benefits the people and helps meet a country's energy needs. The Trung Son project was completed on time and with a cost savings of $40 million USD, about 10 percent of the project’s total cost.

The Vietnam example

Over the last 20 years, Vietnam has been very successful in providing basic electricity access to about 99 percent of its population, and with the Trung Son project ready to deliver on its promises, hydropower will soon be added as a major success for the country's energy portfolio. Going forward, Vietnam has a big opportunity to apply the same degree of excellence to harnessing other forms of renewable energy, like solar, wind and geothermal, as well as increase its energy efficiency. At the World Bank Group, we’re all excited to be a part of this endeavour and we’re looking forward to replicating this success story in other countries, helping them advance towards their low carbon energy goals.

Comments

Trung Son Hydro Project is an live example of sustainable development. Apart from providing better life to the local people and fulfilling the clean energy needs of the nation, the infrastructure of the region like road connectivity, communication, general economy of the areas must have been improved a lot. Hydropower development brings lot of infrastructural and economic developments to the region. It is a proved tool and a carrier of developments of the nation.